The union government’s recent budget has heavily favored Andhra Pradesh while leaving Telangana without much-needed support across various sectors. Notably absent from the budget was any mention of the prestigious Regional Ring Road (RRR) project.
The RRR project, with a total estimated cost exceeding Rs. 30,000 crores, is being developed in two segments: northern and southern. The northern segment, covering 164 km, is in the final stages of land acquisition, with 90% already completed under the Bharatmala project.
The state government now faces the urgent task of initiating the tender process for this part. Meanwhile, the southern segment, spanning 182 km, has been approved by the Center under the Viksit Bharat project. However, land acquisition for this section has been delayed due to protests and legal challenges from farmers.
Under the National Highways Department’s supervision, the state government is responsible for bearing half of the land acquisition costs. Despite the progress, the Center’s budget omission of the RRR project has cast uncertainty over the completion of land acquisition and the initiation of the tendering process.